Many seniors or those providing elder care to a loved one understand the importance of eating right and exercising each day. However, a new study finds that this may not be enough, especially for people who spend the majority of their time awake sitting.
The new study, conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, has found that people who spend more time sitting each day may be at a higher risk of dying within three years in comparison to adults who rarely sit during the day.
To come to this conclusion, scientists looked at more than 200,000 adults who took part in the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study, which examined individuals' lifestyles, health conditions and other factors that involved their well-being.
From the information, researchers found that adults who sat for 11 or more hours each day had a 40 percent increased risk of dying within three years, in comparison to people who sat for four hours or less daily. The risk held true even when scientists adjusted the results based on each participant's physical activity, weight and health status.
Researchers hope the information found will encourage adults to take breaks during work to move around and to entice them to be more active at home.
"Watching TV, using computers and electronic games can involve sitting for long periods and have become a big part of leisure time," said Hidde van der Ploeg, lead author of the study. "But we know that people who spend less time on these things have better health than those who spend too much time on them."
The U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are many benefits of staying active over living a sedentary lifestyle. Being active can work to keep people at a healthy weight, reduce the chances of people developing cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes and can increase muscle and bone strength.